Favorite Teams

Pipe-less in Gaza

It’s not easy running the Gaza Strip. Not only must the fundamentalist Islamic group Hamas contend with a longstanding economic blockade from neighbor and arch-enemy Israel, as well as a bitter rivalry with fellow Palestinians of Fatah who rule in the West Bank; it also must deal with a crowded, restless population that doesn’t always take kindly to its “suggestions.”

The other day, the conservative regime issued a new order that cafes should stop providing patrons shisha — bowls of flavored tobacco served in water pipes that are enjoyed by men, and apparently some women, as they drink coffee, tea or soft drinks and play cards. On Thursday the command was delivered orally to seaside cafe owners, and armed plainclothes officers were on patrol over the weekend.

A Hamas spokesman said the ban pertained only to women, reflecting “the Palestinian people’s customs and traditions.” But police seemed to be cracking down on men-only cafes as well.

Hamas has had trouble in the past with its behavioral campaigns. It banned women from smoking water pipes last year, but never enforced the rule. Other strictures requiring women to wear head scarves and long Islamic robes, or barring men from cutting women’s hair, also have fallen by the wayside.

One cafeteria manager said he usually prepares as many as 250 shisha bowls a day for his customers. News of the ban on water pipes has decimated his business, which will make it hard for him to keep up with his rent — to Hamas, which owns the site.

It would be one thing if Hamas banned tobacco for the sake of its constituents’ health and well-being. However, a New York Times reporter noted cafe patrons continued to puff away at regular cigarettes.

State secret?

“I can’t say anything myself.” Bartender in Rhinebeck, a picturesque village on the Hudson River, when asked about the possibility that Chelsea Clinton will wed her longtime beau Marc Mezvinsky at a sprawling estate nearby on July 31.

“No comment.” Rhinebeck hotel receptionist, who did allow that the hotel is sold out that weekend.

“I am under very strict orders not to talk about it.”U.S. Secretary of State Hillary Rodham Clinton, mother of the bride.